A govt web site that is actually useful!
I’m not known for my love of government agencies but there is a web site that actually does what it says on the tin and gives good advice we can all follow now.
NetRegs.gov.uk aims to inform the SME market of all pertinent environmental legislation that affects the business community. Additionally, it presents the facts/legislation that business needs to know about in a clear and unambiguous manner, untainted by spin or ‘other’ agendas; it’s also useful even if you are larger than an SME.
Which is why I find it so frustrating when business leaders continue to harp on about wanting government to do something before they themselves are willing to act.
After all, if we can see their abdication of responsibility in these actions, surely their shareholders can too? And their clients?
Or are we all so fixated on trying to secure a package as attractive as Fred ‘the Shred’s for when it all goes pear-shaped (not the best attitude from a business leader!), that we have forgotten that unless we start to actually ‘do’ something, there will be no pot to extract a cosy retirement fund from.
What should be clear to all is that Fred Goodwin epitomises the short-sightedness of the last decade. He has written himself a reward package for gross mismanagement which the government, no matter how loudly it complains or how wildly it postures, will likely be powerless to do anything about - and Goodwin himself has publicly stuck two fingers up at us all in his public letter to defend his actions.
What should not be forgotten, however, is that he is (despite his youth) a dinosaur who will not be part of what is becoming the new economy.
I have no doubt that he has his supporters among the financial community and will not find it difficult to get another job and enjoy his pension at the same time, but the consumer may not be as ready to do business with any organisation on whose board he sits… and the national press will not be slow to let us know what organisations these are.
As a business leader (of any size of company) that aspires to lead a sustainable, profitable and growth company over the next 5 – 10 years, therefore, what are you doing (as opposed to talking about) to restructure (if necessary) and align your corporate activity with outcomes that will guarantee continuity of production and year-on-year growth?
What are doing now that will ensure that you attract the talent pool tomorrow? Green issues are not about obeying a trend or even pandering to the unreasonable desires of a consumer base that now knows more than you do – it is about returning to a way of running a business that makes sound, economic and common sense.
And if you want to know if you’re on the right side of the law or what you can do now to reduce your impact on the sustainability of your business, you could do worse than visit NetRegs.gov.uk.
Unlike the Goodwins of this world, it does what it says on the tin and is actually looking after your interests, especially as October looms ever closer and you need to know that you are compliant with the provisions of the incoming Companies Act 2006.
